When the Astros scratched Bud Norris from his scheduled start on Tuesday, a trade out of Houston seemed imminent for the 28-year-old righthander.

That deal finally came together about a half-hour before Wednesday’s 4 p.m. Eastern deadline, as Norris was sent to the Baltimore Orioles for outfield prospect L.J. Hoes, minor-league lefty Josh Hader and the Orioles’ competitive-balance pick. The framework of the deal was first reported by FoxSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal.

The Orioles have been in a season-long search for starters to fortify their struggling rotation; they made a deal with the Chicago Cubs on July 2 to land righthander Scott Feldman (which hasn’t exactly worked out as they’d planned; he has a 5.15 ERA in five starts for Baltimore).

Norris has a 3.93 ERA and 1.413 WHIP in 21 starts for the Astros this season. Neither of those numbers are going to inspire a ton of confidence, but this isn’t a trade market flush with starting pitching options. In fact, that’s a big reason Norris was even available.

He’s still under club control for two more years (he’s eligible for arbitration in 2014 and 2015 before becoming a free agent in 2016 without a longer-term deal in place), which means the Astros didn’t have to trade him, but general manger Jeff Luhnow recognized the opportunity and put him out there. For a more in-depth look at Norris, read SN’s Numbers that Matter piece.

Hoes, a 23-year-old outfielder, was rated as the Orioles’ No. 6 prospect in Baseball America’s preseason rankings. He hit .304 with three homers, seven stolen bases and a .808 OPS in 99 games for Class AAA Norfolk this season. Hader, 19, was a 19th-round pick of the 2012 draft; in 34 career minor-league games (17 starts), he has a 2.45 ERA and is averaging 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He’s spent this season at Class A Delmarva.